Former US Attorney Patrick Miles Jr. annouces campaign for Michigan Attorney General

Grand Rapids native and former U.S. Attorney Patrick Miles Jr. stood outside his former high school Ottawa Hills and officially announced his candidacy for Michigan Attorney General on Thursday. Appointed by President Barack Obama, a personal friend and fellow Harvard Law School graduate, Miles served five years as a United States attorney in the Western District of Michigan.

“I am running because these are dangerous times," Miles said. "My experience as United States attorney in the Western District of Michigan has prepared me well for this job of Attorney General. I am running because we need someone in the Michigan Attorney General’s office who will be a voice for the people.”

Miles, a Democrat, is looking to replace current Attorney General and Republican Bill Schuette whose time is up due to term limits. His campaign announcement comes nearly 10 days after Republican State Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker launched her campaign to seek the Republican nomination for attorney general. It’s rumored that House Speaker Tom Leonard is considering a run for attorney general as well.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is expected to make official what has long seemed inevitable - he is running for governor. The Republican is hosting his annual barbeque for supporters in his hometown of Midland on Tuesday and has invited media to attend.

Once Schuette officially enters the Republican primary, he will be considered the front-runner. Schuette also has been a congressman, state senator and appellate judge.

A series of statewide polls is being released this week. Yesterday, EPIC-MRA focused on President Donald Trump’s approval rating among other things. Today a Michigan-centric survey on leadership and next year’s gubernatorial candidate matchups. WGVU breaks down part two.

Lansing-based EPIC-MRA conducted its survey from August 27th through September 1st polling 600 registered Michigan voters, reaching 30 percent of them by cellphone.

State Attorney General Bill Schuette wants the federal government to reject an energy company’s request for permission to use a 98-year-old pipeline to ship crude oil.

The pipes run beneath the Saint Clair River on the border between Michigan and Ontario.

Andrea Bitely is Schuette’s press secretary. She says not enough is known about the safety of a pipe built in 1918 that’s never been used before to ship crude oil. And a spill would contaminate a drinking water source for millions of people.